Home Anyone''s cat bite when he gets scared...?

[moremoremore]

So some of you know how much I LOVE my babies...and my Vinny is the love of my life....but he's so freakin afraid of everything...like a lot of cats...but he does something that irritates me...it's usually not a big deal, but last night it was...husband was torturing me by tickling me and I was yelling really loud....Vinny got scared and bit me HARD...husband didn't know what was happening and didn't let me go, so Vinny got 4 nice puncture wounds in my leg....He then freezes in fear until I talk to him and pet him....although last night I scruffed him and blew in his face which he hates...My leg does hurt today where the bites are...
He never gets me so good, but when I yell downstairs to hubby, Vinny postures to strike...or if I scare him too much, I'll get a quick bite or stalk until you snap him out of it...nothing as bad as last night...

Does anyone else have a kitty that does this? geez, what would he do with a crying baby? He could really do some damage I would think...I don't even know if he could handle the noise...

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 9/3/2008 1:28:20 PM
Author:moremoremore
So some of you know how much I LOVE my babies...and my Vinny is the love of my life....but he''s so freakin afraid of everything...like a lot of cats...but he does something that irritates me...it''s usually not a big deal, but last night it was...husband was torturing me by tickling me and I was yelling really loud....Vinny got scared and bit me HARD...husband didn''t know what was happening and didn''t let me go, so Vinny got 4 nice puncture wounds in my leg....He then freezes in fear until I talk to him and pet him....although last night I scruffed him and blew in his face which he hates...My leg does hurt today where the bites are...
He never gets me so good, but when I yell downstairs to hubby, Vinny postures to strike...or if I scare him too much, I''ll get a quick bite or stalk until you snap him out of it...nothing as bad as last night...

Does anyone else have a kitty that does this? geez, what would he do with a crying baby? He could really do some damage I would think...I don''t even know if he could handle the noise...

One of our cats will bite when he''s scared or very upset, but only adults and not normally very hard.

He doesn''t ever harm a child. He hates them crying - they sound very similar to siamese kittens - and gets very worried and always goes rushing off to find my mother and shout at her for not looking after her baby properly (all babies are hers in his mind

).

Have you tried something like rescue remedy in his water or something?

 

[moremoremore]

thanks Pandora...you know, I should get the rescue remedy...I may even have some around but I''ll buy new stuff...My Gracie will be so laid back she should just put on a Grateful Dead tee shirt LOL...

Vinny did it again tonight...I unloaded a bunch of frozen french fries onto a metal cookie sheet and he came RUNNING down the stairs from upstairs and immediately bit me on the leg. Hard. I have no idea what''s going on with him. There hasn''t been any change of routine or anything...For the first time in over 5 years, I didn''t trust him tonight...probably bc both of my legs are aching....

I''ll try to RR. Thanks!

 

[Pandora II]

Gosh, that is serious!

Is he affectionate the rest of the time? Is there some kind of power struggle going on between him and other cats? Has he always done this?

The other thing you could try is anti-depressants. We put one of our cats on them - his brother died and he was pining away with grief for weeks afterwards. Wouldn''t eat, no energy, bad-tempered etc. A week of Pussycat Prozac and he was back to normal.

It might also be worth trying to find an animal behaviour expert and see what they suggest.

He is obviously one very upset wuss cat. Poor thing - and poor you.

 

[funtobewith]

I find it odd that he is running to the source that is scaring him. I mean he came DOWNSTAIRS and into the kitchen to bite you?!

When I first read your title I pictured you restraining him and getting bit as he was trying to get away. I would definately talk to his vet and see what''s going on. I don''t think it is just "scared" kitty bites.

 

[moremoremore]

LOL- yes, he is SUCH a wuss cat LOL...


Thanks guys....Vinny is an absolute doll, love of my life, kitty-witty, mr.muffin pants...LOL...But he is scared of everything. It is IMPOSSIBLE to put him in his cat carrier without having him poop himself and barf everywhere. He runs away from a bowl of popcorn (NOT kidding...not the popping sound, just the popcorn itself LOL.....If I put my cell phone on speaker, he will run up to it and then try to give me a bite...the voice really scares him..He''s ultra sensitive.

Yes, he literally ran down the stairs with a mission bc of the fries. He just strikes and then sits there all confused....like he didn''t know what he did....One kind word out of me and he''s instantly purring again..Now this doesn''t happen more than once a month generally, but twice in two days freaked me out...
But now that I think of it, the other day, a stray cat was outside of the screen door and Vinny was ALL puffed up and really scared....maybe that put him ovr the edge....

it makes a lot of sense to me that he''s very fearful and then strikes out on SOMETHING that he thinks he can dominate...and that is me since he KNOWS I''m his mama....e/t he is a very obedient boy and knows when I mean business....

 

[FireGoddess]

Is he rabid? LOL.

His behavior is SO perplexing to me. I have an uber-scaredy cat, but she has never come running TOWARDS what she fears to attack anything near it. He certainly is an adorable oddball!

Do you scold him for this behavior? I''m just wondering if over time he can learn to control it or not bite so hard. In the beginning, my Holly''s petting and play agression caused her to seriously bite me HARD - breaking skin every time. Over the course of time we have struck a compromise - I pay more attention to her ''stop it!'' signals and she mouths me if I don''t, but doesn''t come close to breaking skin anymore.

 

[Pandora II]

I had a chat with my mother about Vinny. She didn''t come up with anything new to try, but did say that he would almost certainly bite you and not a child if he was going to bite at all, so not to panic about that.

I was thinking - maybe you could try exposure treatment. ie, if he''s scared by certain things - like the chips on the baking tray - then keep him in the room and repeat it enough times that he realises it''s not going to hurt him (wear thick socks or knee-high boots

).

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...no, I''m probably the rabid one! Thanks so much guys! Yes, I definitely scold him and he knows he''s done bad...I scruff him (not very hard) and blow a puff of air in his face which he HATES....and then he usually skulks away but comes back in a minute, forgetting what happened...

And Yes! I just tried to adjust him a little....I was making this really annoying whistling sound and he jumped on the bed all freaked out on a mission...I KNOW he was going to bite me but I initiated high pitched lovely-dovey conversation...He would chill and then get all angry when I would whistle...
I felt bad...I scruffed him gently and did it in his face and I felt him actually shaking...poor guy...I let him go and kept doing whistling and when he cam up to me, I''d praise him...so I didn''t get bit.....

I''ll just have to keep up with it! Thanks guys!

 

[jewelerman]

my house mate''s cat gives a warning bite..not hard just enough to get the point acrossed that she dont want to be picked up.

 

[Hera]

Maybe a change in plans? I''m not sure about whether the kind words and soothing words afterwards are really helping. A mommy cat will give a gentle pat to their kittens to let them know when a behavior is undesirable. I definitely don''t mean you should strike him, but maybe reconsider the possible positive reinforcement of the kind and soothing words afterward. Maybe you could try telling him "No!" or something.

I would check out a animal behaviorist as well. I found a link to one on an article on MSN or something. Here it is: http://www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com/. Look under participating CAAb''s on the left hand side for referrals. The one I was looking at charged telephone time by the minutes which I thought was pretty cool. They are all extremely well educated as they have PHD''s.

 

[purrfectpear]

If this was about a dog that bit someone in the family everytime it was scared, people would be freaking out about now

How do you train a cat? The only thing I can think of would be some chill meds, but you hate to have a drugged kitty 24/7?

 

[moremoremore]

Thanks guys.....

Oh, I definitely tell him no....as I scruf him and blow air in his face...maybe I give him positive feedback too soon...

How do you train a cat? LOL....no such think I presume .... he''s such a little doll otherwise....as he is just sitting here looking at me with his motor going

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 9/8/2008 10:05:45 AM
Author: moremoremore

How do you train a cat? LOL....no such think I presume .... he''s such a little doll otherwise....as he is just sitting here looking at me with his motor going

I''m actually clicker training Holly. Or perhaps she''s clicker training me...

She''ll sit on command now, and I''m trying to teach her to ''shake hands.'' We''ll see. Maybe she''s got me trained into being an efficient treat delivery system. LOL.

 

[moremoremore]

OK..if you get her to shake hands, you better post that video! LOL...Vinny has been really good...Not one bite...I actually make obnoxious noises while petting him so he''s no so frightened...He hasn''t even given me any nose nibbles...he reeeeaaaaalllyyyy wants to give it a bite though. LOL.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

My cat doesn''t need a reason to bite. She has major mood issues and will be sweet one mintute and turn on me the next.

My other cat, the frightened one, just hides when scared.

 

[deegee]

My sister had a cat that we nicknamed "Psycho Kitty." That cat would freak out and latch on to an arm or leg and dig in with teeth and claws. We took my mom to the hospital one night when Psycho Kitty dug into her hand and it swelled so bad (and bled) that her ring got stuck. She wasn''t even petting him, she was folding towels. He could be the sweetest cat, but he would get spooked and then. . . watch out!

 

[moremoremore]

See, with Vinny, it''s not a mood swing or tantrum...he is a sweet little angel but it is definitely that he gets so frightened...the whole thing happens in a split second and immediately after he does it, he is just frozen in fear....

So it happened again today. I think it''s vet time.

I was doing laundry and left an upper cabinet open and REALLY hit my head on it...so as I''m standing there making all kinds of ohhh and ahhh I''m dying sounds, I get bit on the freakin leg. Two fang marks right there. I got ppppppissssseeedddd.... I felt badly for wacking him on the but but then I chased him around the house with a mad voice so that he definitely knew it was wrong anf then I ignored him...

Well, thanks for the info...I''ll let you know what the vet says...

 

[Izzy03]

Oh MORE, my cat bites me when he is happy, sad, scared, angry, hungry, thristy, bored...... should I go on? I really don''t like the cat, but I took him on as a foster cat, and was never able to find a home for him. After I saved him from the pound, I refuse to take me back there.

Most cats, even the most brave kitties, tend to be very sensitive to loud noises. Typically they will run to hide, not bite, but that is just his way of handling his anxiety. Aside from medication (yes, kitty and doggy prozac) I am not sure how or if behavioral modification works in cats. I have done a lot of successful behavioral work with dogs, but my cat had not responded to any of my "doggy" methods.

Hopefully your vet can recommend something!

 

[moremoremore]

LOL at "I really don''t like that cat" LOL...Awww, you''re so good to care for a mean pet...

He''s been really good lately...



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